Cleanpart is a well-positioned company operating in our core sector of industrial services and has a strong market presence and exceptional technological differentiation. Using our many years of investment experience in numerous engineering-services companies, we want to support Cleanpart in taking advantage of its market opportunities.

VOLKER BONSELS

Managing Director

PROFILE

Cleanpart is a services company for the semi-conductor industry. The company maintains process-critical components in machines that are primarily used in the production of logic chips, memory chips and comparable components. These machine components become contaminated during the production process and wear out. They must therefore be regularly decontaminated, cleaned and given a new coating, to ensure that they meet the extreme purity and performance requirements in the production processes of chip manufacturers. This also extends the components’ useful lives. The components are serviced at the company’s own facilities, which are located near major customers in Germany and France, as well as in the US.

POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT

In recent years, Cleanpart has generated around three-quarters of its revenues in the semiconductor industry. The market environment in this core business is very positive and offers attractive growth opportuni-ties with both existing and new customers. This is due to the sustained high level of invest ment in the development of new semi-conductor manuf acturing facilities and the good capa city utilisation levels of existing production facilities. Cleanpart is a well-positioned company that enjoys a leading market position in Europe. It intends to expand its market position in the US based on its strong technological differentiation.

FINANCIAL YEAR 2017

At the end of 2017, the company’s second business line, healthcare, was sold to a strategic buyer following a very successful development process. Up until then, Cleanpart had been the largest independent provider of services covering all aspects involved in the preparation of reusable medical products. By way of example, Cleanpart assumed responsibility for manual and mechanical instrument cleaning and sterilisation/repair and maint enance of instruments on behalf of hospitals and other medical institutions. The healthcare business has shown very positive development over the last two years: revenues trebled – internally, thanks to measures to broaden the service portfolio, and externally, thanks to the acquisition of a competitor. The company had also invested in a new location to expand its capacities. Business with the semiconductor industry was very successful in Europe, in particular. Revenues and earnings in both business lines were up considerably on the prior-year values.

OUTLOOK AND OBJECTIVES

Further revenue and earnings growth is expected in the semiconductor business in 2018. In addition to the ongoing growth on the European market, the management also expects to see positive development for the business in the US.

Responsible team member

Volker Bonsels

Managing Director

Volker Bonsels joined Deutsche Beteiligungs AG in 1995 and became a Managing Director in 2001.

He received a degree in Engineering Management from the University of Kaiserslautern.

Volker Bonsels has more than 20 years of experience in private equity. He was, and is, a member of the advisory councils at those portfolio companies in which DBAG invested under his lead capacity. He has extensive expertise in a variety of sectors, including building components, industrial services and mechanical and plant engineering. Among the most successful transactions he led are Coperion, Lewa and Otto Sauer Achsenfabrik.